About Clinician: Manager Connect Module

"For some time there has been concern expressed in Ministerial, policy, and clinical and managerial circles about the relationships between clinicians and managers across the Australian health system. By consensus there is pressure on clinicians and managers and clinician-management relationships in contemporary health systems, and scope for these relationships to be improved. It is well known that this is an international problem." ¹

The Clinician: Manager Connect module has been developed in consultation with professionals working within the Australian health care system, with reference to the growing body of literature available, to address some of the workplace issues and sources of conflict that may impact upon the professional relationship between clinicians and health care managers.

This educational resource provides information and activities relevant to both clinicians and managers to develop mutual understanding through insights into the responsibilities, pressures and accountabilities of each whilst promoting practical skills that can be adopted to proactively enhance their relationship as they work towards the common purpose of achieving high quality, equitable health care in Australia.

Key Learning Objectives

Understanding of the shared goal of providing optimal patient care within an accessible, sustainable, high quality health service; and the vital contribution of both clinicians and health care managers to achieve this.
Increased perception of the diverse pressures and challenges on each role and their key priorities influencing decisions that may, at times, be in conflict.
Improved communication techniques to promote mutual understanding and foster productive working relationships between clinicians and health care managers.

1. Greater Metropolitan Clinical Taskforce, Final Report. The medical clinician-management connect in greater metropolitan public hospitals in Sydney. Consultative meetings, October 2004. http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/resources/gmct/pdf/clinician_connect.pdf